Cane covered animals can be so beautiful! The trick is to find ways to cover the curves and contours.  In the past I’ve written up free tutorials for a fish, lizard, or seahorse.

This snail is made with canes from this month’s issue of  Cane Builder.

Step 1: Make a roll with scrap clay.

Step 2: Flatten one end so that the shape is tapered and also gets wider at the same time. When the snail shell is rolled up, it looks better if the center is farther out. So the center is smaller but wider.

Step 3: Wrap ribbons of cane slices around this shape. Ideally the patterns will get smaller and smaller as the shape tapers down.

I capped the very end with black. Next time I would continue with smaller and smaller patterns.

Step 4: Smooth out the seams and work the slices into the scrap clay.  Roll up the snail shell very slowly and carefully. If you go too fast the pattern will stretch and break.